learning the viol as a former bass player

[SAlcott]

I've been playing gamba for years. I consider myself solidly mediocre. I don't find the technical aspects overwhelming in the least and the repertoire is ginormous. The tuning makes it intuitive to play for a DB player, and for me the transition from German bow to gamba is natural. One caveat: don't let the "Earlier Than Thou" crowd dissuade you from just playing the thing. If you really get into it you'll know what I mean.

My first wife was a classical freelancer in NYC. She did some Early Music work for a few years, but finally gave it up when the people in the group spent more time arguing than playing.